Cloud computing systems are currently composed of large numbers of relatively inexpensive computers, interconnected by standard IP routers and supported by stock disk drives. However, many demanding applications have now reached a fundamental limit in their ability to scale out using traditional machines. Future performance improvements will derive from the use of high-end specialized equipment in addition to standard hardware: GPUs of course, but also FPGAs, programmable routers, and advanced storage technologies. In this context the HARNESS European project investigates: (i) how cloud providers may offer such extremely heterogeneous hardware to its users; and (ii) how cloud customers may make use of these heterogeneous resources to run their applications such that they exhibit the best possible price-performance tradeoff.

The postdoctoral researcher will investigate cross-resource scheduling in this heterogeneous cloud environment. Contrary to regular resource scheduling, cross-resource scheduling consists of provisioning groups of resources with inter-resource constraints such as the available bandwidth between resources. It uses its knowledge about the physical layout of the cloud to translate such requests into specific requests for individual resources. As such, it sits at the border between the Infrastructure-as-a-Service layer (which makes individual resources available as a service) and the Platform-as-a-Service layer (which needs sets of resources to execute user applications). The research questions to be addressed concern the scheduling policies: which physical resources should be allocated upon such requests to maximize the cloud provider’s profit? Can we use spot pricing policies to encourage users to request underutilized types of resources?

This work will be realized in close collaboration with the other members of the HARNESS project who are in charge of offering access to a variety of heterogeneous hardware devices: Imperial College London, EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland), Zuse Institute Berlin, SAP (the world leader of e-business solutions), and Maxeller (an FPGA manufacturer). Note that this consortium is of exceptionally high quality.

Knowledge of the following technologies is not mandatory but will be considered as a plus:

Grid and cloud resource scheduling

Python and shell scripting

Commercial cloud systems: Amazon EC2 and EBS, Heroku, etc.

Open-source cloud systems: OpenNebula, OpenStack.

Revision control systems: GIT, svn.

Linux distributions: Debian, Ubuntu.

Note that knowledge of French is not required for this position.

Start date: As soon as possible. The position is offered for a period of 1 year, with a possible extension subject to funding availability.

Location:Rennes is the capital city of Britanny, in the western part of France. It is easy to reach thanks to the high-speed train line to Paris. Rennes is a lively city and a major center for higher education and research. The job will take place within the INRIA/IRISA research center, which is internationally recognized for its research in the domain of information and communication sciences.

Applications: A first selection of candidates will take place on June 28th 2014. To maximize your chances of success, please send your application before this date. The position will however remain open until a suitable candidate is found. To apply, please send the following documents to Guillaume Pierre (guillaume.pierre@irisa.fr):

CV.

A motivation letter highlighting your previous research achievements in a domain close to cloud computing.